The Fluent Polyglot: What does it mean to be fluent?
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “I’m fluent in [insert language],” or you’ve heard the word “fluent” used in someone’s language-learning goal. These statements always sound impressive and lofty, until I stopped to wonder — what does fluency really entail?
A quick dictionary search brought me to Merriam-Websters’ definition of the word “fluent” as “capable of using a language easily and accurately”. This definition is surprisingly broad and doesn’t allude to grammar, pronunciation or even being understood (arguably the primary goal when you’re learning a language!).
But what it does convey, is that fluency is not synonymous with knowing everything in a given language. In fact, it’s impossible to know everything.
Think about it: even in your native language, there are situations where you might struggle to communicate and understand, such as when a subject is unfamiliar to you (put me in a courtroom, and you can bet I’d struggle to keep up with legal jargon).
Smooth Talking: The ability to conjure
So let’s break down Merriam-Websters’ concept of language fluency.
An aspect of its definition is one’s ability of “using a language easily,” or the ease in which you are able to convey your thoughts.
Following this idea, Daniel Morgan of the Schenker English language schools in Italy, refers to fluency as a speaker’s “smooth” and “effective” use of language to cover “a range of topics in real time”.
However, such definitions do not refer to the grammatical accuracy and correctness of language use. For example, a second-language (L2) learner may make mistakes when translating word-for-word from their native language. In essence, you could have a speaker who can very easily throw out phrases and sentences in a comprehensible way, yet have their sentences riddled with grammatical errors and incorrect use of language.
If we fumble for the right words to project, would this still make us fluent or lack fluency in a language?
Accurate Depictions: Finding the right words
This brings me to the latter half of Merriam-Webster’s definition of fluency: accuracy.
Accuracy refers to correct grammar and correct use of words.
How might this definition apply to a L2 speaker who conveys a message accurately but with imprecise vocabulary? For example, an L2 speaker might say, “There is hot, I need to find some shadow,” when they mean, “It’s hot over there, and I need to find some shade.” While the message about seeking solace from the hot weather still gets across, the L2 speaker has used a slightly imprecise word, “shadow” instead of the more appropriate, “shade”.
A language learner may easily communicate a particular meaning well in their second language, but the way it is described could sometimes result from a direct translation from their native language. Would this mean that the speaker is not fluent enough?
Accuracy can also imply correct pronunciation.
After an L2 speaker becomes familiar with someone, that someone will grow accustomed to, understand and pick up on how the L2 speaker pronounces certain words. However, the L2 speaker could mispronounce the word, thus, not necessarily achieving accuracy.
Claiming Fluency: Does it matter?
Let’s say you can speak a language with relative ease and accuracy. Can you say you are fluent? What if you’re using the same three verb tenses without bothering to learn the others? What if you can’t understand a native speaker’s everyday speech? What about not knowing slangs of a given language? What if you have an accent? What if you can only speak, but not read or write?
Can you still claim fluency?
There are many frameworks to measure language proficiency, such as the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of References (CEFR), which categorises proficiency into six levels — from A1 to C2. This differs for the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale, which grades language proficiency from 0 to 5. Other multilateral organisations such as the United Nations have their own language proficiency scales like the UN Levels of Language Competence.
As you can see, the definition of fluency is rife with nuances, along with various ways of measuring it. Indeed, there may not be one accepted definition of language “fluency”.
Perhaps what matters most is how you use a language. Rather than nailing down the meaning of fluency, it may be more beneficial to use the language in the way you intend to.
If you want to understand Russian culture and history through books, then by all means, focus on your reading skills. If you’re planning a trip to Japan, learn language terms pertaining to travel. If you want to study a language to have meaningful conversations, practice speaking with a language buddy!
At the end of the day, if you really want to become fluent, you get to define what fluency means for you.
So, what does fluency mean to you? It may be closer than you think.
Written by Toffy Charupatanapongse
